A man who interviewed 100 Trump supporters says the reason many Americans oppose immigration has nothing to do with jobs

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Sam Rega/Business Insider

Sam Altman is an investor who lives in Silicon Valley. He voted for Hillary Clinton, but spent the months following the election interviewing as many Donald Trump supporters as he could find.

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He traveled throughout the United States to better understand what the other half of America was thinking and feeling.

He asked 1oo Trump supporters about all sorts of key issues, ranging from abortion to immigration.

When it came to immigration, he learned something that surprised him.

Many people who voiced concerns about immigration weren't frustrated that immigrants might be taking job opportunities from them. Instead, they were more worried about the overall culture of America changing, and they felt tightening borders could help preserve it.

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"The most surprising takeaway for me was how little [the anti-immigration feelings] seemed to be driven by economic concerns," Altman wrote. Instead, much of it was "driven by fears about 'losing our culture,' 'safety,' 'community,' and a general Us-vs.-Them mentality."

His learnings from traveling across the United States are fascinating. You can read them all here.